Floral Hello

Hello to you all.

My friend and I have just spent a couple of days away doing a Christmas Book Nook and a Veranda Nook……we had no idea what we were letting ourselves in for – so much work and fine detail needed for those projects. It absolutely blew my mind – so I had to come back and make a card as I know how to do that…..! I don’t think that is something I’m going to be doing much of in the future – but I really enjoyed what we did do.

I have a card to share using a new stamp and die set from the recent Stamptember collaboration with Simon Says Stamp and Concord & 9th:

I stamped all the images in the stamp set, but decided to use only these couple of sprigs for a more clean look.

The background panel is a 3D embossing folder from Spellbinders, adhered with tape. I die cut these three sprigs after stamping the two layers for each colour.

The two stripes of blue are from a little packet I keep my strips in, and the circle was die cut and stamped with an sentiment from that same stamp set.

The stamp set has a large poinsettia flower and even though I stamped and die cut that – it is sitting on my desk for another project – I didn’t want to cover up too much of the embossing.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Color Throwdown – green, orange, blue

Crafty Catz Weekly Challenge – anything goes

Allsorts – anything goes – option to add texture taken (3D embossing folder)

The Flower Challenge – anything goes with flowers

CYHTP – embossing folder – option of spooky not taken

Slimline Holly Christmas

The ABC Christmas Challenge has reached the letters ‘U‘ and ‘V‘. We want to see you Christmas/festive creations with the themes of ‘U for Use It Up’ and/or ‘V for Vertical‘. Here is my card:

Onto a black slimline card base I placed a piece of black glitter card, added a white frame, then a narrower black frame.

The holly was die cut from a piece of card created when playing with some techniques. I used a green mica spray and when that was dry, I stamped with a red rubber stamp and heat embossed in gold. You can see the detail of the gold heat embossing here:

I then used a slimline holly die from Sue Wilson, and arranged as you see – some hanging over the edge. That did take a while to adhere to the black glitter card, but I put something heavy on top and left it overnight.

I wanted a sentiment which would stand out from the background but not take over from the holly and the glitter background, so chose a gold foiled sentiment from Pinkfresh Studio.

I resisted adding even more bling with sequins as I think this card has enough shine and shimmer.

I hope you can come and join us with our Christmas/Festive projects following our themes. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Peace On Earth Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Love To Craft – anything goes

Merry Little Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Christmas Bingo – 3 items from one column – ‘B’ column – black/free/no stamping

Sparkles Forum Christmas Challenge – Christmas flowers/foliage

Sunflowers For A friend

Hello again. I have a card to share from a very messy play time:

I first created the background panel by using stencil and grit paste onto water-colour card, so I could set that aside and let it dry.

I then ink smooshed some brown and orange Distress Inks onto different Distress White Heavystock panels and set those aside to dry.

I then found a piece of yellow and green paper, created during a gel plate session using either water-colours or acrylic paint (I can’t remember which), so I used that panel to die cut the flowers, and layered with another white die cut piece of card to add some stability.

Once dry, I die cut the layers from Honey Bee Stamps ‘Lovely Layers Sunflower‘, placing my dies where I wanted to add to get some white areas, solid areas, and some splattering from the ink smooshing.

The brown centres were die cut from some grey ink smooshing, but they were too grey, so I added some ink blending with brown Distress Oxides.

The next thing to do was stick everything down – I had forgotten what to use to glue things down onto the grit paste. My normal wet glue didn’t work, and I couldn’t find my gel medium – I must have a few containers stored ‘safely’ somewhere – so I used glossy accents….that seemed to have done the trick.

I then added the foiled sentiment and some gold facetted gems, stuck down with a drop of glossy accents.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge – stencil fun

FarmQuest Challenge – sunflowers

My Time To Craft – In The Garden

We Love 2 Create – anything goes mixed media

Ellibelle’s Corner – anything goes

Die Cut Divas – layered die cuts or layer die cuts

Creative Artiste Mixed Media Challenge – anything goes mixed media – use at least three mediums

Framed Snowflake

Hello. I have a card to share using a snowflake set from the recent Pinkfresh Studio Create and Connect event:

I created the background by stamping the snowflake image in Abandoned Coral Distress Oxide. The frame is from Pinkfresh Studio also, die cut in white, the inner portion die cut out, a layer of vellum also die cut with outer-most layer, glued to the back of the frame, and placed on top of the background.

I then stamped the snowflake in a light brown ink, left my snowflake where it was in the Misti, used all three layers of the stencils to colour it in, masking off portions so I had dark blue towards the middle, and light blue towards the outer portions. Those small blending brushes came in very handy for the itty bitty parts of the snowflakes.

I then placed the panel back into my Misti, and stamped with black ink.

The technique of stamping in a light colour, using the stencils, then stamping again in your darker colour, was learned from Pinkfresh events. It is a little anxiety provoking the first time you do it, and you have to ensure your card is placed into the corner both times of stamping – and you don’t remove the stamp, but I do like the darker outline when you stamp at the end.

I used the matching die for the snowflake, die cut another one to add to the back for a little more stability, then glued onto the card.

The sentiment is foiled and added with glue, then I added some gold sequins around the snowflake, and some dew drops to the four points and the centre.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Color Throwdown – coral, light blue, navy blue

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge – stencil fun

Addicted to Stamps and More – die cuts and/or stencils

Peace On earth Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Merry Little Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Most Magical Time Of The Year – anything goes Christmas or Halloween

Framed Birthday Florals

The Alphabet Challenge has started a new challenge. Caz is the host this time round, and she has chosen the theme of ‘Nature‘. Here is my card:

I added a dry embossed panel onto a white card base – a Spellbinders embossing folder, and placed the Pinkfresh Studio deco frame on top – added with 3D foam.

The floral arrangement is from a die set from Spellbinders, die cut each with Concord & 9th card stock, layering the images, and adding to the frame as you see,

A foiled sentiment was added, along with some dew drops scattered around.

I hope you can come and join us with your creations inspired by ‘nature’. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Addicted to Stamp and More – die cuts and/or stencils

Festive Friday – choose 3 items from the list (blue, green, frame)

Die Cut Divas – layered die cuts

Green and Cream Note

Hello again. Cardz 4 Galz has started a new challenge. Johanna is the host, and she has chosen the theme of ‘Green and Cream‘. Here is my card:

I decided to go a more mixed media style on this card and had a play with several products from my stash.

I first created the green background. For this I added some crackle paste through a stencil, onto some mixed media card, and set aside to dry naturally.

I then turned to the ink smooshing with Distress Inks and Distress Oxides – Antique Linen mainly – and created a creamy panel, and set that aside to dry.

The next step was to add colour to my now dry crackle paste panel, and to do that I grabbed my splatter box, some Distress Oxide sprays, some mica sprays – and just sprayed. And moved the panel around. And sprayed again. And moved the panel around again. I like how the crackle paste grabbed hold of the colours in some areas, so you can see the pattern and dimension.

I then turned to my ink smooshed panel, and die cut the arch, and die cut the leaves from Simon Says Stamp, die cut the green crackle paste panel with the same arch.

I added some layers to the arch frame, inset the green panel, added the leaves, and then added the foiled sentiment.

The base card is some linen card stock for a little more interest.

I hope you can come and join us with your ‘green and cream’ creations. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Simon says Stamp Monday Challenge – add some texture

Love To Craft – anything goes

Mix It Up Challenge – anything goes – option to make your own background taken

A Perfect Time To Craft – anything goes

We Love 2 Create – anything goes mixed media

Die Cut Divas – layered die cuts – or layer die cuts (arch frame)

Snowy Shaker Card

Hello yet again. I was inspired to create a shaker card for the first time in ages:

My goodness – all that acetate on the front made this very difficult to photograph – I hope you can see the details….

The card base is a white dry embossed panel using a Simon Says Stamp embossing folder.

The shaker piece was created by die cutting the circle frame (Pinkfresh Studio) and finding some nesting circles which went underneath with no visibility outside of that circle – and die cut the circle frames underneath several times. I probably die cut them at least 7 times, as I didn’t want to use 3

I glued all those circle frames together, and stuck down onto the card base.

The sequins were added to the ‘well’, a circular frame die cut out of silver and placed behind the deco circle, so it would show through the holes in the frame, and then a piece of acetate added to the back of the deco circle, and stuck down.

I added some die cut silver glitter snowflakes, then the stamped and die cut sentiment – also layered several times.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Simon says Stamp Monday Challenge – add some texture (embossing folder)

CYHTP – embossing folder – option of bees/beehive not taken

Merry Little Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Mix It Up Challenge – anything goes – option to make your own background

A Perfect Time To Craft – anything goes

Die Cut Divas – layered die cuts or layer die cuts (shaker frame)

2 Sisters On The Blog – shaker card

Christmas Skating Scene

Hello. The new Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge has started, the theme is always ‘anything goes Christmas’. Here is my card:

The scene was created using a layering stencil set from The Greetery, a variety of different colours – even on the same stencil – it just takes a little more patience and the use of some low tack of masking tape….

I splattered the scene panel with some white acrylic paint, and then some gold shimmer acrylic paint – and then realised maybe my ink blending wasn’t quite dry – some merging of the colours occurred – but I still like it as it gives a vintage feel I think.

Whilst that was drying, I die cut the Pinkfresh Studio ‘Rounded and Beaded Rectangles’ and layered that with a brushed gold card stock.

I then used one of the inner dies to cut the panel with the scene, and inlaid that into the frame.

The sentiment is gold foiled and attached as you see.

I hope you can come and join us with your Christmas/festive creations. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Creative Fingers – anything goes

52 Christmas Card Throwdown – Christmas and use a stencil

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends – anything goes

Christmas Craft Creations – Christmas and metallics

Merry Little Christmas Challenge – Christmas anything goes

Mix It Up – anything goes – option to make your own background

Christmas with the Cuties – Cute Christmas and something shiny

Lattice and Floral Birthday

Hello once again.

Having attended a couple of virtual crafting events the past couple of weekends – Pinkfresh Studio Create and Connect, and the Crop & Create – I have been crafting to try and update my DT cards.

Here is the card for the new challenge at Happy Little Stampers anything goes birthday challenge‘:

The background Lattice effect is from a die cut from Catherine Pooler, used as a tone on tone backdrop to add some extra interest.

The floral images with their layering stencils and matching dies are from Pinkfresh Studio – not part of the Create and Connect – but a favourite of mine.

Once stamped, coloured using the stencils, then die cut, I arranged them onto the background, adding with 3D foam.

I added some silver gems to the middle of some of the flowers, then dotted some around the background.

the sentiment is a foiled strip from a previous foiling session – silver foil on black card stock to make it stand out, and to match the black of the stamped images.

I hope you can come and join us for our ‘anything goes birthday challenge’. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Creative Fingers – anything goes

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends – anything goes

Addicted to Stamps and More – die cuts and stencils

Love To Craft – anything goes

Mix It Up – anything goes – option to make your own background

Monochrome Thoughts

It is time for the new challenge at The Alphabet Challenge. Helen has chosen the theme this time round, and she wants to see your monochromatic creations,. Here is my card:

I decided to give the Gina K wreath builder stamps and wreath builder templates a try. I haven’t used them before, so I watched a few of her YouTube videos and went for it. I chose black and white for the monochrome look and I am really pleased how this turned out.

I did go on to create several more panels with different stamps from the wreath builder set, but this was my favourite.

There are so many little stamps in this stamp set tp be able to fill in those nooks and crannies, and I found starting with one of the larger images first felt right to me, then I just built the design around those.

The sentiment is white hot foiled onto black card stock from a previous hot foiling session.

I hope you can come and join us with your monochromatic creations. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

A Perfect Time To Craft – anything goes

Avenue 613 Create – anything goes

Ellibelle’s Corner – anything goes

The Crafty Addicts – anything goes

Love To Craft – anything goes